


As the War Machine Keeps Turning

by orphan_account



Category: Captain America (Movies)
Genre: Angst, Bucky Barnes Needs a Hug, Bucky's Arm, But he won't let anyone give him one, Fighting, Gen, Sam Wilson Is a Good Bro, Steve Rogers is Uncle Sam, Steve is still Captain America, WIP, Written for a good buddy, angsty angst in a grocery store, but Bucky is a multi-tour veteran who isn't good at coming home, hang with me, it will get fluffy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-06
Updated: 2015-06-06
Packaged: 2018-04-03 04:21:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4086538
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In this story, Steve is still Captain America. He didn't grow up with Bucky. Bucky was still taken by terrifying mad scientist creeps. But this time it was a terror cell and not HYDRA. And now he's moving into the same neighborhood as his childhood idol turned  worst nemesis. He blames Steve for the things that happened to him overseas. Steve is wracked with guilt that he doesn't want and doesn't think he needs. These two will try to put aside their issues so that tears and blood aren't spilled every time they see each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	As the War Machine Keeps Turning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [thebirdsandbees](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thebirdsandbees/gifts).



> This was written for my good friend who had mouth surgery this past week. I originally told her I'd write her a little smutty oneshot thing because she sent me the cutest piece of porny art ever. That turned into this. I had made an RP prompt similar to this that I recently found and it gave me inspiration. I have plans to make it fluffy and smutty, though. I swear. 
> 
> Title is from the song War Pigs. It is originally performed by Black Sabbath, but the Cake cover of it is my favorite. I will be making a playlist to go along with this story and if you care to listen to it, you'll see how much I love Cake. Not that that is relevant to this story.

It was any other easy Sunday afternoon when Steve, following his routine, ventured to the grocer tucked away on his little street corner to procure his stock of food for the week ahead. Reusable tote bags in tow, Steve began his short trek to the grocery store. He wove between street vendors selling their wares and absent minded commuters talking on their cellphones. He was stopped in the sidewalk, speaking with the woman who lived across the hall from him. She walked her dog at the same time every afternoon and Steve always liked to make a point to greet the mother of three, two children and the Lhasa apso that she adored and would cite as her favorite child when asked, and remind her that he was always available to babysit when a man walked out of the nearby subway station and headed into the market. This man had dark circles under his eyes from lack of sleep and smeared eyeliner. His long, greasy brown hair was pulled up in a messy bun, tendrils falling out of the updo and into his face. Steve didn’t think much of the man other than a subconscious realization that the man didn’t live in their neighborhood. Anyway, the stranger reminded Steve that he need to stock his freezer and he politely departed from his neighbor with a final pet to the happy little dog in her arms. 

He jogged across the street, dutifully waiting for light to turn first, and entered the store. He grabbed a basket and headed straight to the frozen food section. He was standing in front of the clear glass freezer contemplating green giant peas as opposed to store brand when the stranger from the subway came into the aisle and practically ran at Steve, knocking him into the glass door of the freezer with the strength of a raging bull and sending the bags of green vegetables flying, packaging bursting on impact and sending the hard little green orbs scattering across the aisle. Steve vaguely recognized that he was bleeding as he pushed himself off a cold shelf of corn and brought the other man to the ground.

A large group of shoppers began to grow around them as Bucky Barnes fought to get Captain America’s dead weight off of his back. “Fuck you!” He yelled. “You ruined my life! Now get the fuck off me, you fuckstick!” James was able to push himself up onto his hands and knees and the new position helped him throw the blonde man off. He heard but didn’t see the glass shattering, indicating Steve had made contact with another freezer. By this time, someone had called the police and Bucky was being pulled to his feet and he felt the cool metal of handcuffs tighten and bite into the skin of his wrists. He was led out of the store and pushed into the backseat of a cop car while Steve was pulling himself out of a puddle of broken glass and apologizing to the shopkeeper.

“I have no Idea who that was!” Steve assured the bald, hunched over store owner. To be honest, Steve knew he was older than this man. That wasn’t easy for him to wrap his head around, though. “I promise I’ll pay for your freezers,” Steve continued, combing glass out of his hair. He wasn’t badly injured, just messy. Something his attacker had said was staying with Steve. ‘You ruined my life.’ He had no idea who that man was. How could he have ruined someone’s life if he didn’t even know them? The thought shook Steve as he walked toward home. Only as he was unlocking his door did he realize he had forgotten his grocery totes.

~...~...~...~...~...~...~...~...~...~...~...~...~...~...~...~...~...~...~

Bucky was quickly processed at the police station and put into a holding cell. This wasn’t his first time to get arrested since returning home six months ago. Most of his rap sheet was public intoxication and drunk and disorderly charges. He had a few assault charges, he’d admit. They were all incidents where he was stopping a fight. Maybe that meant he had to throw a punch. And maybe that was the senator’s son that now has a broken nose because of him. He probably figured he would see actual jail time because of this one, though. Sam would be pissed. His VA counselor was trying to find him a job but no employer wants someone with such a long record. Speaking of Sam, it was Bucky’s turn on the phone. He dialed the man’s cell phone first. 

Brooklyn precinct. Great. One of his guys needed bailed out. “Hello?” Sam said when he picked up his phone. 

“Hey, Sam. It’s James Barnes…” Bucky began. But he was cut off by Sam yelling through the phone. 

“Why the hell are you in jail? Do you even want a job?” Sam snapped. He was already clocking out and grabbing his coat. “Buck, tell me what happened?” His voice was much calmer this time, and after listening to Bucky explain that he’d assaulted Steve, Sam sighed heavily. “You know I’m going to make you say you’re sorry to my friend, right?” Sam said as he started his car.

“I figured. Wait- your friend? You know him?” Bucky asked in outrage. The police office monitoring him on the phone pointed to his watch. “Hey, I’ve got to go,” Bucky said. “You’ll come get me, right?” That was all he could get out of his mouth before the police officer hung up the phone. Bucky didn’t protest as he was led back to his cell and told to wait.

Sam arrived ten minutes later and haggled a bit with the officer at the front desk before finally paying the man and they brought Bucky up to the front and gave him his things. “You want to call Steve or go see him in person?” Sam asked when they got out to the car.

“I hate talking on the phone. But he must hate me.” Bucky sighed, staring at his worn, military issue combat boots as they walked out to Sam’s car. “Can’t I just buy him a greeting card? Hallmark knows what to say better than I do. ‘Sorry I assaulted you in the frozen veggies section.’ Come on.”

“Bucky, you have to apologize. And I know Steve, he’ll be cool about it.” Sam assured the other veteran, driving to Steve’s building. “I’ll go with you, okay? But you’re not getting out of this.” Sam parked the car and got out. He went around and waited on Bucky to do the same. Bucky opened the car door and headed toward the building in angry silence. He let his hair down as Sam pressed Steve’s buzzer. 

Steve was just getting out of the shower and was appraising the scab on the back of his head as his buzzer went off. “Yeah?” He said into the intercom.

“Hey, Stevie. It’s Sam. Listen, man, I got someone here who really has some apologizing to do.” Sam told Steve. Steve buzzed them up and the men climbed the stairs up to the fourth floor of Steve’s old building in relative silence. They got to Steve’s door and Sam nudged Bucky forward. “Go on. Knock.” He encouraged.

Bucky groaned before making a fist with his flesh hand and knocking on the door. He pulled the long sleeve of his hoodie down and clenched the fabric into his prosthetic fist as Steve opened the door.

“Hello,” Steve said, unsure how to react to the pair at his door. He wasn’t sure at all about how he felt about Sam bringing the man who attacked Steve right to his doorstep. “Can I help you?” He said when the shock finally wore off. 

“Hi, uh, listen, Sir, I’m- uh, I’m really sorry. About earlier. I don’t normally beat people up at the market. It’s just,” Bucky paused for a breath and then he screwed up his face. “Actually, no. Why the hell am I saying sorry to you? You ruined my life, Captain. You might as well have cut my arm off in that fucking cave! I spent a year underground being a fucking lab rat for a fucking terror cell! I lived through everything short of a fucking lobotomy and I am the one having to say sorry? Fuck you!” Bucky was nearly screaming, tears of hurt and anger pouring down his cheeks as he began running out of the building.

Steve was left standing at his doorway utterly speechless as Sam gave him a hasty apology and ran after the stranger. He couldn’t believe that man blamed him for all of his troubles. Steve knew it was awful what had happened to the guy, but he was coming to terms with the fact that the things that happened to people weren’t his fault even if they enlisted because the posters had his face on them. 

Steve Rogers is, quite simply put, a creature of habit. He had to build routines after everything that happened to him. You see, Steve isn’t just your average pushing-thirty single white male trying to navigate the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple. Quite the contrary, actually. Steve Rogers is Captain America. The patriotic, geriatric crime fighting war hero puts his pants on one leg at a time, just like anyone else. Unlike everyone else, Steve doesn’t ever truly age or get sick. He just is forever in tiptop shape and forever young. But he has had to learn to deal with his own struggles. Things aren’t always a walk in the park for Steve. For example, Steve has had to reroute his walk in the park to avoid his neighborhood military recruiting station where there are giant posters of his masked face and pointing finger exclaiming that he wants Y-O-U to enlist in the United States Army. The Star-Spangled Man With a Plan was rescued from seventy years on the rocks about four years ago, and he was most certainly shaken and stirred by his own return and the time he’d returned to. This new world is a world where he is the symbol for men who fought and men who died for their country. And he’s a completely different symbol for the men coming home, apparently. This wasn’t the first time he’d been blamed for the cruelties experienced by the men overseas, and it probably wouldn’t be the last if Steve was being honest with himself. But it was the hardest to brush off this time. Steve had never asked to be the All-American poster boy for every war effort since the second World War.


End file.
